Who’s Holding Out of NFL Training Camp?

• NFL training camp opened up early this week with plenty of storylines
• There are a number of players either holding out due to contract concerns
• Check out who’s holding out and their latest updates

It’s seemingly become an annual tradition that numerous players will be holding out of NFL training camp. A vast majority of them are looking for new contracts, whether they’re sitting on the franchise tag or feel they’re underpaid.

Not only do we have hold-outs but we also have hold-ins, where players are reporting to camp but not participating in team activities. Many of these players a re expected to come to agreements early in camp, but others could be souring soon. Let’s take a look at who’s holding out of NFL training camp.

Derwin James 

Derwin James was selected 17th overall by the Chargers in the 2018 NFL draft. He is currently approaching his final year of his rookie contract, but is eager to secure a long term extension with the team. James has been pretty headstrong about this contract extension as he hasn’t been practicing with his team at training camp. Charger’s coach Brandon Staley has mentioned that a new contract is in the works for James, but until its finalized, James will not be practicing.

Like I mentioned before, James is pretty persistent about this new contract, and it’s likely because he wants to become the leagues highest paid safety. The leagues current highest paid safety is Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was drafted 6 spots ahead of James in the 2018 draft and holds a salary of $18.4 million per season. After this, it looks like James is looking to top Fitzpatrick as the highest paid safety in the NFL.

Deebo Samuel 

Recently the 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about key wide receiver Deebo Samuel, and his plans for the future. We all know about Samuel’s previous request for trade, with him citing concerns of his usage as a running back. That being said, tensions have cooled down recently and Samuel will from this point on be in attendance of training camp as he does not want to face any fines.

#49ers Deebo Samuel won't take part in today's first practice of camp but will condition on side. His agents and 49ers' front office are busy negotiating an extension
Kyle Shanahan just talked to Deebo: "Hopefully we can figure something out soon, but we’re in a good place today"

— Cam Inman (@CamInman) July 27, 2022

Hopefully the 49ers can strike a deal with Samuel that pleases him and the rest of the team, it’s among many of their NFL training camp storylines in 2022. Things seem to be looking up according to Shanahan,  “I think that it’s going to take care of itself” he stated.

DK Metcalf 

DK Metcalf, another player going into his final year of his rookie contract and looking to secure an extended contract. The Seattle Seahawks have been working on negotiations, however there has been no definite decision yet. Similar to other players, Metcalf has been attending training camp but is not practicing.

The reason for this is he is more than likely waiting to hear back from the Seahawks with a long-term deal. Ever since Tyreek Hill signed a $30 million dollar deal, reports have said that Metcalf could be waiting out for a deal such as this. Even though there have only been a total of 12 receivers with deals over $20 million.

Orlando Brown Jr

Another player added to the list of who will not be in attendance at training camp is Orlando Brown Jr. Brown was unable to secure a long-term offer from the Chiefs ahead of his deadline for franchise tagged-players. The guarantee for one more year was not enough for Brown as he was looking for a long-term deal.

Once Brown turned down the offer, the Chiefs were not too happy with his decision, as the organization was pretty frustrated and disappointed. Unlike any of these other players, since Brown has yet to sign his tag, he will not be facing any fines for not attending training camp.

Jessie Bates 

Similar to Brown, Jessie Bates is yet another player who has not signed his franchise tag. Bates and Bengals are officially unable to negotiate a contract until after the 2022 season. Bates has until the start of the season to sign his tag which will give him a salary of $12.9 million for the season. However, this does not give him any long-term security about future seasons.

It is likely that Bates’ next step will be to sign his franchise tag, but until then he will not be attending training camp. Many fans are wanting to see a trade happen, but the Bengals don’t seem to be letting Bates go without a fight.

Roquan Smith 

The final rookie coming up on the final year of his contract is Roquan Smith of the Chicago Bears. Smith is yet another player who is looking at facing fines for not practicing at training camp because of issues with his contract. Smith is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and is set on receiving an extended contract from the Bears but has not received an offer he “would remotely consider”.

When asked about his contract, Smith is set on staying with the Bears and states “I’m more than confident we’ll get everything taken care of”. Until then, Smith is in attendance at training camp but not practicing.

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